ArticleBMJ open2016
Impact of holding the baby following stillbirth on maternal mental health and well-being: findings from a national survey.
Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Late fetal demise, a risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- Functional status of women with and without potentially life-threatening maternal conditions after 6 months postpartum: A cohort study.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Women's psychological experiences of preterm labour and birth which results in an intrapartum stillbirth or a neonatal death: an empty systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Psychotherapeutic approaches: hopefully, globally effective.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Holding a baby after stillbirth: the impact of fetal congenital and structural abnormalities.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2023Article
- The Path Is Made by Walking-Mapping the Healthcare Pathways of Parents Continuing Pregnancy after a Severe Life-Limiting Fetal Diagnosis: A Qualitative Interview Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Determinants of stillbirth in hospitals of North Shoa Zone, Oromia region, Central Ethiopia: A case control study.Heliyon · 2021Article
- Predictors of stillbirth among women who had given birth in Southern Ethiopia, 2020: A case-control study.PloS one · 2021Article
- Healthcare professionals' perceptions and experiences of using a cold cot following the loss of a baby: a qualitative study in maternity and neonatal units in the UK.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2020Article
- Is partners' mental health and well-being affected by holding the baby after stillbirth? Mothers' accounts from a national survey.Journal of reproductive and infant psychology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo compare mental health and well-being outcomes at 3 and 9 months after the stillbirth among women who held or did not hold their baby, adjusting for demographic and clinical differences.
designSecondary analyses of data from a postal population survey. POPULATION: Women with a registered stillbirth in England in 2012.
methods468 eligible responses were compared. Differences in demographic, clinical and care characteristics between those who held or did not hold their infant were described and adjusted for in subsequent analysis. Mental health and well-being outcomes were compared, and subgroup comparisons tested hypothesised moderating factors. OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and relationship difficulties.
resultsThere was a 30.2% response rate to the survey. Most women saw (97%, n=434) and held (84%, n=394) their baby after stillbirth. There were some demographic differences with migrant women, women who had a multiple birth and those whose pregnancy resulted from fertility treatment being less likely to hold their baby. Women who held their stillborn baby consistently reported higher rates of mental health and relationship difficulties. After adjustment, women who held their baby had 2.12 times higher odds (95% CI 1.11 to 4.04) of reporting anxiety at 9 months and 5.33 times higher odds (95% CI 1.26 to 22.53) of reporting relationship difficulties with family. Some evidence for proposed moderators was observed with poorer mental health reported by women who had held a stillborn baby of <33 weeks' gestation, and those pregnant at outcome assessment.
conclusionsThis study supports concern about the negative impact of holding the infant after stillbirth. Results are limited by the observational nature of the study, survey response rate and inability to adjust for women's baseline anxiety. Findings add important evidence to a mixed body of literature.
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